Popcornopolis employee releases hostage, surrenders in El Segundo

A 21-year-old woman walked into her workplace at the El Segundo offices of a gourmet popcorn manufacturer, brandished a gun, and threatened co-workers just as the business day began Tuesday morning.

Several employees snuck out a back entrance at the headquarters of Popcornopolis, at 1301 E. El Segundo Blvd., but Leonora Banuelos took the company's chief financial officer hostage at 8:15 a.m., said El Segundo police spokesman Lt. Ray Garcia.

Police and eventually SWAT officers surrounded the building at 1301 E. El Segundo Blvd. and, after a three-hour standoff, the Los Angeles woman was persuaded to surrender without incident.

Banuelos was looking for a co-worker because she was upset over their failed relationship, Garcia said. That person was not in the building, however. Officers called Banuelos during the standoff and negotiated with her to release the hostage, officials said. Minutes after the unidentified CFO was released at 11:15 a.m., Banuelos peacefully walked out of the building and turned herself into police.

During the standoff, the company's founders - Wally and Kathy Arnold - waited anxiously nearby at a police command center, as workers were interviewed by investigators.

"I would never have expected this," Wally Arnold said, shortly after the standoff ended, as he waited for police to tell him what happened. "We are grateful that everything appears to have concluded in the best possible way. We are grateful for our courageous employees. "

Several blocks were closed off around the Popcornopolis headquarters during the hostage situation. News reporters and photographers waited nearby as several television helicopters maneuvered for shots of the scene from above. Workers at nearby officers periodically walked by, wondering about the commotion.

Popcornopolis creates gourmet popcorn and other treats, selling them online and at stores, including its flagship at Universal CityWalk.

Banuelos was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and making criminal threats. She is being held on $100,000 bail.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Detective Glenn Delmendo at 310-524-2277.